Wall trim construction



Feb. 5, 1935. o. MacNAB Er AL 1,989,814

WALL TRIM CONSTRUCTION Filed Sept. 27, 1933 scar Mac/Vab Charla@ E La/1rPatentedreb. s, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WALL TRM CONSTRUCTIONApplication September 27, 1933, Serial No. 691,150

8 Claims.

The invention relates in general to trim members for wall coverings andthe like, and more particularly to trim members having a laterallyextending securing flange for attachment to a supporting wall and anedge-overlapping flange for retaining or gripping a marginal edge of thewall covering.

In prior constructions of this type, the securing flanges are providedat suitable intervals with holes for screws or nails and the like, andthe rst step in the installation of a wall covering is to locate thepanel or vertical trim members and secure them in place by means of theattaching screws.

After the panel trim members are secured in place, the wall coveringpanel is applied. In order to insert the marginal edge of the coveringunder the corresponding edge-overlapping flange of the trim member, itbecomes necessary to bend or buckle the covering. lhere the covering issubstantially inflexible or rigid, the necessary bending cannot beaccomplished without breaking, cracking, or otherwise injuring thecovering.

Moreover, when at least one of the horizontal marginal edges of the wallcovering panel is to be retained by the overlapping flange of a trimmember, such as a wainscot, it is necessary to bend the wall coveringpanel in two ways substantially at right angles to each other in orderto insert the marginal edges of the wall covering under the overlappingflanges of the panel trim and wainscot members.

This kind of bending is practically impossible, even with more or lessexible wall coverings, without seriously damaging the covering.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide animproved trim construction which may be moved while in place to allowthe positioning of a wall covering panel and the like.

Another object is to provide a trim construction which is capable oflateral movement after being secured to a wall, so as to bring itsoverlapping iange into overlapping relation to the marginal edge of aWall covering panel positioned on the wall.

A further object is to provide a trim construction having a lateral angeprovided with slots cooperating with the securing means for permittinglateral movement of the trim on its support and for wedgably securingthe trim to the support when the trim is moved laterally in onedirection.

'I'hese and other objects are successfully accomplished by theimprovements comprising the present invention which may be stated ingeneral terms as including the provision of screwreceiving slots in thesecuring flange of the trim members, said slots being preferably open atthe outer edge of the securing ange and extending laterally inwardtherefrom, and the edge portions of the slots being inclined or taperedlongitudinally of the slots.

Referring to the drawing forming part hereof Figure l is a fragmentaryelevation of a Wall having trim members positioned thereon, showingcertain of the trim members moved into displaced position for receivinga wall covering panel.

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the movable trim members moved backinto the position which they normally occupy for overlapping the.marginal edges of the panel covering;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view through the movablepanel trim member, as on line 3 3, Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan View thereof;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view through the panel trim member ofFig. 3, as on line 5 5, Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional View through the stationary trimmember, as on line 6 6, Fig. l;

Fig. 7 is a detached cross sectional view of the wainscot trim member;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary cross sectional view of a modified form of paneltrim member; and

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary plan view thereof.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

In Figs. 1 and 2, the wall 10 has positioned thereon a verticallydisposed stationary trim member 11, which may be a cap or corner member,the vertically disposed movable panel trim member 12, and thehorizontally disposed movable wainscot member 13. The trim members 11,12 and 13 are adapted to border three sides of a rectangular wallcovering panel indicated in dot-dash lines at 14.

The elongated trim member 11, which is shown as a cap member located atthe end of wall l0, is provided with a laterally extending securing ange15, secured to the wall by means of screws 16, and preferably having itsupper surface inclined from a minimum thickness at its outer edge to amaximum thickness at its inner edge for eliminating any substantialoffset between the outer edge of the securing flange and the supportingWall.

The trim member 11 is provided With an edge- Yoverlapping flanged?for,overlapping and gripping the adjacent vertical marginal edge of thewall covering panel 14, the securing flange 15 extending under saidmarginal edge of the panel.

The elongated panel trim member 12 is preferably provided with asecuring flange 18 extending laterally toward trim member 11 under theopposite marginal edge of the panel 14, and with a securing flange 19extending laterally in the opposite direction for projecting under amarginal edge of the next adjacent wall covering panel. The flanges 18and 19 are preferably tapered as is flange 15 of member 11, that is,each has its upper surface inclined from a minimum thickness at theouter edge of the flange to a maximum thickness at its inner edge.

'I'he trim member 12 is provided with an edgeoverlapping ange 20extending laterally in the direction of flange 18 for overlapping andgripping the adjacent marginal edge of panel 14, and an edge-overlappingflange 21 extending laterally in the direction of securing ilange 19 foroverlapping the adjacent marginal edge of the next adjacent panel.

Preferably, the securing flange 18 is provided at longitudinal intervalswith screw-receiving slots 22, preferably opening at the outer edge of.'

the flange 18 and extending laterally inward therefrom toward theoverlapping flange 20. Screws 23 extend through the slots 22 into thewall 10 for securing the panel trim member 12 thereto.

The edge portions 24 -of the slots 22 are preferably beveled to allowfor counter-sinking the beveled heads 25 of screws 23 therein, and theedge portions 24 are parallel with the inclined upper surface of theflange 18, so that said edge portions are inclined or taperedlongitudinally of the slots from one end to the other thereof.

The slots 22 provide means for permitting lateral movement of the paneltrim member 12 after the same has been secured in place on the wallbecause the slots 22 are capable of longitudinal movement on the screws23, and the inclined or tapered edge portions 24 provide means forwedgably engaging the screw heads 25 when the panel trim member 12 ismoved laterally in one direction, namely, to the left as viewed in Figs.l to 5 inclusive. y

Preferably, the securing flange 19 is provided at longitudinal intervalswith screw holes 19' for receiving screws 16' to secure the flange 19 tothe wall 10 after the trim member 12'has been moved back into panelsecuring position, with its edgeoverlapping flange 20 overlapping themarginal edge of panel 14.

The elongated wainscot trim member 13 is provided, as best shown in Fig.7, with a tapered securing ange 26 for extending laterally under theupper marginal edge of the wall covering panel 14, and anedge-overlapping flange 27 for overlapping and gripping said uppermarginal edge of panel 14.

At'longitudinal intervals the securing flange 26 is provided with screwreceiving slots 28, similar to or identical with slots 22, and the slots28 are preferably open at the outer edge of flange 26 and extendlaterally inward therefrom toward the overlapping flange 27. Screws 29extend through slots 28 into the wall 10 for securing the wainscot trimmember thereto.

The edge portions 30 of slots 28 are preferably beveled to allow forcounter-sinking the beveled heads of screws 29 therein, and said edgeportions 30 are parallel with the inclined upper surface' of the taperedflange 18 in a manner similar to or identical with the edge portions 24of slots 22. l

Thus the slots 28 provide means for lateral movement of the wainscotmember 13, that is,

of screws 29 when the wainscot member 13 is moved laterally downward, asviewed in Figs. 1 and 2.

The securing fiange'26 of the wainscot member 13 is preferably cut outat longitudinal intervals as shown at 32, for receiving the adjacentupper ends of the vertical trim members 11 and l2 and allowing saidupper ends to substantially abut the edge-overlapping flange 27 of thewainscot member when the trim members have been moved into normal' panelretaining position.,

The cut out portions 32 are made somewhatwiderthantheverticaltrlmmemberstobereceived therein, so as to allow forlateral movement of the vertical trim members before the wainscot memberis moved downwardly into panel retaining position.

kIn applying wall covering panels to a wall and utilizing the improvedwall trim construction of the present invention, the cap or cornersection represented by 11 is first secured in place by means of thescrews 18. Then the first panel trim member 12 is located at the properdistance from trim member 11, and secured in place by .andsecuredinplacebythescrews29 insertedin slots 28 in the relative positionshown in Fig. 2. The trim members 12 and 13 now occupy their normalpanel retaining positions.

In order to apply the ilrst wall covering panel 14 without bending orbuckling the marginal edges thereof, the panel trim member 12 is movedtotherightasviewedinFlgs.1to5inclusive,a distance substantially equal tothe length of slots 22 so that the screws 23 occupy the relativepositions shown in Figs. l, 3, and 4. The wainscot member 13 is movedupwardly as viewed in Figs. l Yand 2, a distance substantially equal tothe length of slots 28 with screws 29 occupying the relative positionsshown in Fig. l.

' 'I'he wall covering panel 14 may then be placed in position, asindicated in dot-dash lines in Fig. 1, with its left vertical marginaledge overlapped by the overlapping flange 17 of trim member 11, as shownin Figs. 1 and 6, with its upper marginal edge below the overlappingange 27 of the wainscot member, and with its right vertical marginaledge to the left of overlapping flange 20 of the panel trim member 12.

After the wall covering panel 14 has been thus positioned, the paneltrim member 12 is moved back into normal position with the overlappingilange 20 overlapping and gripping the adjacent marginal edge of thepanel 14, and with the screws 23 occupying substantially the positionshown in Figs. 2 and 5.

As the panel trim member l2 is thus moved to the left, the inclinedbeveled edge portions 24 of the slots wedgably engage the beveled screwheads 25 so that the securing ilange 18 is tightly secured to the wall10. n Y

Next the wainscot trim member 13 is moved downwardly toward its normalposition to occupy the panel retaining position of Fig. 2, with itsoverlapping flange 27 overlapping and grippingtheuppermarginaledgeofpanelu. Asthe wainscot member 13 is moveddownwardly, the

inclined edge portions 30 of slots 28 wedgably engage the heads ofscrews 29 to tightly secure the securing flange v26 of the wainscotmember to the wall 10.

After the rst panel 14 of the wall covering has been secured in place,the panel trim member 12 serves as the stationary trim member forstarting the application of the next panel section, in the same manneras did the stationary trim member 11 with respect to wall covering panel14.

The modified form of trim member indicated at 112 in Figs. 8 and 9, isprovided with a laterally extending securing flange 118 of uniformthickness throughout, and an edge-overlapping flange 120. The securingilange 118 is provided with an outwardly opening laterally extendingslot 122 for receiving securing screws and the like, and the bevelededge portions 124 of the slot are tapered or inclined longitudinallythereof for wedgably engaging the beveled heads of the securing screwsin the same manner as the beveled edge portions 24 of the trim member12.

By utilizing lthe present improved wall trim construction, wall coveringpanels of various kinds of material, exible or iniexible, may be quicklyand easily applied without in any way damaging or injuring the wallcovering material.

1. In combination with a wall having a wall' covering, a trim memberhaving a laterally extending securing flange and an edge-overlappingange, means for securing said securing ange to the wall, saidedge-overlapping iiange normally overlapping a marginal edge of the wallcovering, and the securing ange being provided with a laterallyextending slot cooperating with the securing means for permittinglateral movement of the trim member on the wall.

2. In combination with a wall having a wall covering, a trim memberhaving a laterally extending securing ange and an edge-overlappingvange, means for securing said securing flange to the Wall, saidedge-overlapping iiange normally overlapping a marginal edge of the wallcovering, and the securing ange being provided with a laterallyextending slot having edge portions inclined longitudinally of the slotfor wedgably engaging the securing means when the trim member is movedlaterally in one direction on the wall.

3. In combination with a wall having a wall covering, a trim memberhaving a laterally extending securing ange and an edge-overlappingflange, means for securing said securing flange to the wall, saidedge-overlapping flange normally overlapping a marginal edge of the wallcovering, and means on the securing flange cooperating with the securingmeans for permitting lateral movement of the trim member on the wall.

4. In combination with a wall having a wall covering, a trim memberhaving a laterally extending securing iiange and an edge-overlappingange, means for securing said securing flange to the wall, saidedge-overlapping flange normally overlapping a marginal edge of the wallcovering. and means on the securing flange cooperating with the securingmeans for permitting lateral movement of the trim member on the wall andfor wedgably engaging the securing means when the trim member is movedlaterally in one direction on the wall.

5. In combination with a wall having a wall covering, a trim memberhaving a laterally extending securing flange and an edge-overlappingange, said securing flange being tapered from a minimum thickness at itsouter edge to a maximum thickness at its inner edge, saidedge-overlapping flange normally overlapping a marginal edge of the wallcovering, said securing iiange being provided with a plurality ofoutwardly opening laterally extending slots, and screws extendingthrough the slots into the wall and having heads wedgably engaging theedge portions of the slots.

6. In combination with a wall having a rectangular wall covering panel,an elongated trim member for each oi' two adjoining marginal edges ofthe panel, each of said trim members having a laterally extendingsecuring ange extending under the adjacent marginal edge of the paneland a iiange normally overlapping said adjacent marginal edge, eachsecuring flange having laterally extending slots, means extendingthrough the slots into the wall for securing the trim members thereto,and the edges of the slots being tapered longitudinally of the slots forwedgably engaging the securing means.

7. In combination with a wall having a wall covering, a trim memberhaving a laterally extending securng ilange and an edge-overlappingflange, means-lor securing said securing flange to the wall, saidedge-overlapping flange normally overlapping a marginal edge of the wallcovering, and the securing flange being provided with a laterallyextending slot opening at its outer edge and cooperating with thesecuring means for permitting lateral movement of the trim member on thewall.

8. In combination with a wall and a rectangular wall covering paneladapted to be located in xed position on the wall, an elongated trimmember for each o! three marginal edges of the panel, two adjoining trimmembers each having a laterally extending securing ilange extendingunder the adjacent marginal edge of the panel and a flange normallyoverlapping said adjacent marginal edge, each securing flange having alaterally extending slot, and means extending through said slots torsecuring the trim members to the wall, whereby the two adjoining trimmembers may be moved laterally on the wall and relative to the wallcovering.

OSCAR MACNAB. CHARLES E. LOEHR.

